


The Dark World

by frozenadventures



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Ant-Man (Movies), Captain America (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Abortion, Asexuality, Asexuality Spectrum, Body Image, Demisexuality, F/M, Fan Theories Abound!, Grey-A, Post-Thor: The Dark World, Pregnancy, Pregnant Sex, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rape/Non-con Elements, Self Confidence Issues, Sexual Violence, Tags and characters tentative, Unplanned Pregnancy, Violence, grey-asexual
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-28 03:48:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8430637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frozenadventures/pseuds/frozenadventures
Summary: ON HIATUSI hate this story so hard right now.  I think I'll go back and rewrite as a reader-insert/first person focusing on demi-reader with confidence/body issues.  3-1-18A girl named Eleanor (nicknamed Rum) is living a normal life in Washington.  She has nightmares about New York, though she was nowhere near when it happened.  One day, on a trip out to Seattle, she gets caught up in something otherworldly.  SHIELD and every other government entity wants to talk to her about what happened, but she's NORMAL and refuses to discuss anything.Still a work in progress, but will be working to in put fan theories as applicable.  Main story is between Loki/OFC.Original synopsis here:  http://archiveofourown.org/works/8292521/chapters/18996212





	1. In the Beginning

The sky opened up into a black portal, stars shining through. It was as if the entire universe was trying to eradicate them. Horrible tentacled monsters, flying elephantine creatures, and hovering motorbikes littered the city as onlookers screamed in terror. Buildings crumbled and children turned to ash as charred bricks came hurtling straight toward her and -

Rum woke up drenched in sweat. It had been years since the alien invasion – she hadn't even been there! It was irrational for a girl from small town Indiana to have fears of an alien invasion long since past and nowhere near her location. Besides, since then she'd moved out to the West Coast to try and make something of herself. She went back to school and got an English degree – much good that did her. She got by well enough, doing small editing jobs online. Every once in a while, she would help out a friend with her comic book – it was really taking off online with a large following on indegogo to fund it.

She grimaced, pulling her sticky tank top. A shower was definitely in order. Looking at her phone, she cursed, noting the time. “Short and cold it is.” Rummaging through her pile of clothes on the floor, she pulled out some clothes that didn't smell rank and might look good on her. Ah, the terrors of growing up in the Barbie doll nation, everyone has body issues!

Rolling her eyes and skipping over the woe-is-me spiel, she spied a bra that mostly fit and a clean pair of underwear, heading into the bathroom to complete her morning routine.

Rum jumped into her car, hair still wet and tangled. The dash showed that it was already 9:30. She hoped traffic wasn't too bad or she'd never make it to Seattle by noon. On a good day, two hours was enough, but on the weekends or during high traffic times, it could take much longer. Considering her options, she decided it would be best to park further away and ride the Link into town. There was never any parking near Pike Place anyway.

“Only 45 minutes late this time. I think you like me.”

Rum rolled her eyes. “Slow your roll, Larissa. You know I love you, but we're hetero life mates. Don't go getting any ideas.” She massaged her shoulder and rolled her neck, hearing a few loud pops.

“Ew. That's sounds gross.”

Rum shrugged. “Hey, sorry I'm late. Traffic killed and I woke up late since I stayed up.”  
Larissa narrowed her eyes, giving Rum the death glare. “How long? You can't keep doing this to yourself! Everyone needs to sleep, you know.”

Rum gave a loud sigh. “I know, I just...I can't help it, you know. I just can't sleep at night. Besides, it was only 40 hours this time.”

She could tell Larissa was about to give her a verbal beating, but her face suddenly changed as she took a deep breath. “Let's not spoil the day. I can be neurotic about your non-existent life from online. Today, we're going to go hit up that Crumpet shop. I've been dying for that salmon one. It was so delicious!”  
“Okay,” Rum replied. “But let's go to that tea shop and fill up on free samples and then get some gelato later.”

The two grinned, walking up the tilted street and trying to avoid a barrage of tourists.

“I still can't believe they give you two giant scoops of gelato for only $4. It's insane!”

Rum laughed, stealing a bite of Larissa's Salted Caramel as she ranted on about how crazy Seattle prices are. They sat in the small shop, facing the window. There were about five tables, but no way it would be comfortable if they were all occupied. She looked out the window, absentmindedly scooping gelato into her mouth as Larissa's rant raged on.

She nearly choked.

She'd seen people dress strangely before, but in the heat of a Seattle summer, what idiot would think it was a good idea to walk around town in thick layers of black leather. Black? As the light glinted off of the material, she could see there was a deep green. Emerald? For the Emerald City?

She blinked and he was gone. The sun's glare must have blocked her vision – no one can just disappear!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is a work in progress. I had previously posted the first three or four chapters elsewhere, but didn't like the flow very much. I've written more and slightly re-written some of what I had. Let me know if you have any constructive criticism. This is my first Marvel fic. The chapters will be short in the beginning, but I'm hoping as I continue and add more info from the Marvelverse (come on internet!), it will start to have longer, more meaningful chapters.
> 
> Comment and kudos if you enjoy. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, this is a story I've previously written. The first four or five chapters are pretty short and may not be the writing quality I/you are used to. The chapters after that I have put more effort into since they're the ones I've been writing recently (the other chapters are a year or so old at this point). Please bear with me.
> 
> Please leave comments or kudos. If there is something you would like to see, an idea that could be incorporated, or a change that may make these chapters better, please feel free to leave a comment or message. Thanks and enjoy!!

The two women got off of the Link Light Rail in the International District and walked to Uwajimaya in search of dramas and food. They entered from the rear of the store, directly into the bookstore section and browsed their way to the tv and movie section.

“So...Does Rum have any Coke in her glass?”

“Oh my God, that is so lame. Is that your way of asking if I'm seeing anyone?”

Larissa shrugged. “Come on, you haven't dated anyone in the five years I've known you. Isn't it about time?”

Rum ignored her, spying one of her favorite dramas sitting on the shelf – Marry Me, Mary. Larissa grabbed the box from her and slammed it back in the shelf. “I'm serious. You're pretty and smart and sarcastic as fuck. Anyone would be lucky to have you.”

“Yourself included?” Rum gave her a leer and suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

“Not that I wouldn't love that, but I'm serious. I know you don't go for girls, so what's the hold up?”

“L, if I roll my eyes any more, I'm afraid they'll get stuck back there. You know why. I'm not going to start a relationship with someone I don't like to make everyone else feel better and then get guilted into having sex with some asshole I have no future with.”

“Are you talking about that whole peanut butter thing again?”

“Peanut- what? Larissa, where do you come up with this crap?”

Larissa shrugged. “I dunno. You know my memory isn't that great.”

“Yes. It's because I'm ace.”

Larissa looked like she was going to be sick. “So, because of this whole ace thing, you're never going to be in a relationship or have sex?”

“I'm not saying that!” Rum rubbed her hands over her face, exasperated, frustrated. “I'm demisexual, a grey-ace. If there isn't a connection, I could never feel attraction for them. Without being attracted to someone, what's the point of having sex? I've done that before and we know how that ended.”

Larissa got quiet, nodding along as she recalled the story. “Nevermind...let's go to the food court.”

After sharing a gigantic bowl of ramen, the girls loaded up with sushi, milk coffee, and mochi ice creams. Carrying their haul back down to the Light Rail station, they said their goodbyes.

“Bye L!” called Rum as she ran up the steps.

“See ya, Elle!!” Larissa shouted back, throwing her a kiss.

She finished walking up the steps, shaking her head. What a nut.

The Freemont Troll.

Rum was startled and looked back over the rail behind her. She could have sworn a large figure had passed by in the corner of her eye – something impossibly large.

A shiver ran up her spine and her hold body shook with it. She could feel the hairs on her arms standing on edge as she went completely cold. She couldn't help the shaking now – it was like standing in a blizzard without a coat on – she couldn't get warm. Rum could feel her breathing speed up, fueled by panic, but what was she so worried about?

Suddenly she realized she could actually see her breath. See your breath in the middle of summer?

The minute the train pulled up, she jumped on, relieved to be within its confines. Was she so unused to Seattle that just being in the city at night scared her so? That wouldn't explain the sudden chill.  
Whatever it was, she decided to leave it behind. She was in the train and that was that. The doors closed and the car jerked forward, carrying on at a lively pace. On a straightaway, the car jerked once more.

The lights flickered.

She thought she saw something in the distance...but no, it couldn't be. Sleep deprivation was making her imagine things!

She gasped as the figure was brought into focus, as if she had just decided to put on her contacts. It was...her mind couldn't even wrap around what she saw. Was it a troll? Some kind of homunculus?

The lights went off as the car suddenly jerked to a stop. Rum managed to catch herself, but a young woman and her child went careening forward. What was a child doing up at this hour?!

A distant rumble could be heard and lights around the city began to sputter and die. Was part of that building missing?

Rum turned and asked if the woman and her child were alright. She put her score down and helped them up onto a seat. The car shook and veered to the left before righting again.

Rum's heart was beating like a hammer, fear clogging her throat. “If this is a dream, I'd like to wake up now,” she whispered as she slowly turned to the rear of the car, afraid of what she may or may not see next.


	3. Chapter 3

“Shit.”

'Who said that?' She turned toward the noise, sure she had heard someone cursing under their breath. There were only five people in their car. She heard it again, but it seemed to come from an empty corner. The lights flickered to life briefly, then went out for good. Something else seemed to flicker in front of her. Much like the monster, the vision was fuzzy and suddenly snapped into focus.  
The leather clad guy from the market.

She was about to ask where he had come from when the car lurched again, throwing everyone to the ground.

“Dude, your foot is pretty far up my nose, I'm going to get athlete's foot. Do you mind?” she snarled, wiping blood from her nose as she turned to see who had given her a free nasal cleaning.

Loki was visibly startled. A mortal had not only seen him, but touched him. Something was wrong. Whatever it was, it was interfering with his magic, which would not do. As much as he liked the idea of watching the monster destroy another useless horde of wretched humans, it, or its masters, had something to do with his current shortcomings. This had to be handled swiftly.

He shifted, willing himself elsewhere. He smirked, opening his eyes...still in the train car. His smirk quickly turned into an irritated grimace. What was the point of going to the human world to wreak havoc if hulking creatures were going to come out of the night, steal your powers, and trap you in a sardine can?

Loki unsheathed the sword-scepter and jammed it into the door, wedging it open.

“You idiot. You're going to mess up your replica if you start swinging it around like that. Besides, there's supposed to be an emergency release somewhere in here...I think.”

Loki snarled, turning toward whoever would dare berate a God such as he.

With a loud click, a lever was pulled, releasing the lock on the door. Loki shot an annoyed glance toward the woman, girl?, who had located the emergency release.

“What, no thank you? Just because you can afford a thousand bucks for custom made RenFaire crap doesn't make you above common courtesy,” the girl spat at him. “Douche,” she muttered.

“You have my thanks, wench, but stay out of my way.” He re-sheathed the scepter and pulled the door open.

“Oh my God, you are such an asshole. What are you gonna do now, jump? That sounds like a great way to break...well…everything.” She rolled her eyes. “Do you mind?” She gestured toward the door, apparently motioning for him to step back.

Loki could feel himself begin to shake in anger. Who did this mortal think she was? The ground didn't look that far away and it wasn't like he hadn't handled worse before. Just because one little- “What are you doing?”

The girl had swung out onto the side of the train, slowly inching along the side toward what he now recognized as a ladder hidden in a supporting pillar below them. “For one spouting the dangers of such a height, you seem well on your way to a glorious death of your own.”

Despite her brazenness and outward courage, he could see her back quivering and fingers shaking from fear. Is this the idiocy human blondes are so known for? Is that why there are so many well known parables in human culture about those with fair hair? Her hair seemed fairly dark, almost brown. Shouldn't she be at least partially immune from this horrific malady?

Though the human had brought him nothing but anguish and headaches, he felt the need to repay her misguided helpfulness. “Just come back in. I'll go in your stead.” He leaned his head out, leaning against the open door frame.

Her eyes widened. “No, don't!!”

With his full weight on the door and the girl hanging on the side of the car, the train became unbalanced and began to tip. It shook violently back and forth, trying to gain back its equilibrium, and throwing her toward the black streets below.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm fucking afraid of heights! What kind of idiot jumps out onto the side of a train two stories up? And now I'm falling to my death. Great job.

The mortal was falling to her sure death. It served her right, Loki grinned to himself. But there was this look of sheer horror in her eyes that made it impossible for him to look away. As she neared the ground, the look turned to anger. Anger at him?

Before he could stop himself, he had jumped from the car. For him, it was like walking on air. His steps were light and effortless. The real shock came when he caught her. He never intended to become involved in the plight of these...people, he practically spat the word in his mind.

The girl was heavier than she looked. Miscalculating her weight, he stumbled slightly.

There was a scream above him as the lights turned back on and the train car rumbled away. What had happened to the creature? He looked, but didn't see any sign of it. Was it just there to draw him out? To draw someone else out? His pitiful brother and his friends who liked to call themselves The Avengers? He couldn't help but laugh out loud at the audacity and ridiculousness of it.

With a defeated sigh, Loki lowered her to the ground and stood. His foray into the mortal world had come to a premature end. There was no fun in terrorizing an already defunct city whose inhabitants were dead, mangled, or at wits end. Back to Asgard it was.

“Awake...We should...no calls...”

Rum's head was pounding and the light burned her eyes when she opened them. She flinched, every inch of her body crying out in agony. It felt like she was hit by a bus...or fell two stories out of a train.  
“Jesus...” she groaned, trying to shift to a better position.

Whispers came into the room. Through slitted eyes, she gathered she was in a hospital room. She covered her eyes with her hands, feeling heat radiating from them.

“Good morning. How are you? I'm Doctor Logansen.”

“Hey doc. My everything hurts. You got any ice for my eyes?” Rum responded, trying to be polite but to the point.

“Sure thing. I'll have a nurse get some ice packs for you. Now,” the doctor pulled up a chair and sat next to her, chart in hand, “can you tell me your name?”

“My name?”

The doctor nodded, bringing out a pen light. “I'm going to shine this in your eyes, see if we get any dilation. Might explain why your eyes are so sensitive right now.” He shone the light and murmured positively to himself. “If you don't remember, that's fine. Just take your time.”

Rum rubbed her eyes, opening them a crack and looking at him quizzically. “If I don't remember...Oh, my name. No, I know my name. Eleanor King, 8/6/1986, number is...Well, all of that should have been in my phone, which is...on the train. Great. No ice cream for me.”

“Ice cream? Well, at least we have a name for your chart. Now I don't have to call you Jane Doe any more.” He smiled at his little joke, not caring or noticing she had no appreciation for it. “When you feel up to it, do you think you can fill out some of this paper work? Other than the obvious, we couldn't really find anything wrong with you. I'd like to get you discharged as soon as possible.”

Rum shrugged to herself. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Hey,” she grabbed onto his jacket, “do you think I could call my family? They're probably worried about me. I was only supposed to go on a day trip to Seattle, they would have been expecting me back last night.”

Dr. Logansen flushed. “I'm so sorry, I forgot. You've been asleep so of course no one told you. You've been here for three days. I guess the electrical in the city went out when the bomb downtown went off. Police are still investigating and the witnesses from the train are spinning an interesting story. You can call your family, but there are some officers outside who'd like to speak with you and you'll have to go down to the station to collect the things they recovered from the train.”

Rum's head was spinning – all of that really happened? “Wait, a bomb? What about the monster? That...that giant...thing?”

The doctor looked slightly skeptical and wrote a few things on her chart. “I'll...leave you to it.” He laid blank admission forms on the bed with a pen and walked out of the room, a sympathetic look on his face that made her feel both angry and crazy.

Unbelievable, she thought as she blinked her eyes a few times, finally getting used to the light. She pulled the forms over and began filling in the easy stuff. Name: Eleanor King. D.O.B.: 8/6/1986. Hair: Dark Blonde. Eyes: Blue. Race: Caucasian. Sex: Female. Could they really not fill out any of this themselves? Height: 5'4”. Weight:… Weight:… Weight:167...Weight: ~~167~~ 180\. History of...No. Complications...No. Insurance Information: No…

She pushed the forms away and scooted to the edge of the bed. She stood, wobbled, and fell back on her butt. More cautiously, she stood again, holding the bed railing, and stood. Luckily the phone was close to the bed. She reached over and dialed her parent's number.

“Eleanor?! Ellie, is that you?”

Her mother's voice sounded strained on the other end of the line. “Mom, it's me.”

“Oh my god, are you alright? The Seattle bombing has been all over the news. You weren't caught in it, were you? You're okay? Tell me you're okay. Why aren't you answering me?”

“Well, if you'd let me get a word in edgewise, I would answer you! God!! I'm fine, I'm just in the hospital.”

“Oh my God, you're dying! I'm going to call your father. We're staying at the Marriott down by the museum. Thank god we sprung for that call forwarding.” Beep-Beep. The line went dead.

Just great.


	5. Chapter 5

Apparently, when Rum didn't return home, her parents drove out to Seattle the next day. They had seen the news footage of the wreckage and assumed she had been caught up in it. They had prepared for the worst, but the police would give them little to no information. Most of the rubble had been cleared, but there was still no news on Ellie.

When they received her phone call, they had been up for two days straight. Her mother's hair was a mess, unlike anything she had seen before. Her father seemed to have aged thirty years overnight and the bags under his eyes were weighing him down.

They both smiled wearily as they entered the hospital room. Her mother approached the side of the bed and gave her a tentative hug. “Oh baby, I'm so sorry we couldn't come sooner. Are you okay?” She burst out into tears, clearly too stressed by the recent events.

“We're just glad that you're alright.” He smiled, squeezing her hand as he rubbed her mother's back.  
Rum shifted, wincing. She'd sustained some minor injuries, but her mild coma and strained back muscles were what had kept her in the hospital for this long. The doctor prescribed her some pain meds, told her to take it easy, and suggested she see a counselor – her hallucinations about what happened that night was probably a coping mechanism, but she needed acceptance and closure. Rum disregarded the advice and happily went home with her parents after being discharged.

A week later, Rum returned from her new writing internship, greeted by a State Patrol car, Seattle Police cruiser, and the local Sheriff. Why would so many different branches all be at her house? Had something happened to her parents?

Panicked, Rum ran into the house, throwing her things on the bench by the door. She didn't bother taking off her shoes as she entered the cramped dining room, now smaller for being stuffed full of six strange officers, her parents, and two whining dogs.

She gave a sigh of relief, glad to see her parents. The feeling lasted for about two seconds before the sinking feeling in her stomach began. The cold pit radiated out as she stepped forward. “What's going on?”

An elderly gentleman in an ironed uniform stood and removed his cap. “Ah, Miss King? I'm Sergeant Lee Graham. I thought, considering the unusual circumstances, I would make this trip myself.”

“...Unusual circumstances?”

A younger officer threw down a file folder on the dining room table and turned it around, flipping it open so she could see what lay inside. “According to eyewitnesses at your incident, this man was also present.”

Rum looked down at the folder, a picture of a handsome man with flowing black hair was skewed on the very top. Ah! It was that guy, from the Link!!

“I take it from your expression you remember him? Considering the severity of his crimes against humanity, we would like it very much if you would accompany us down to the station and answer some questions.”

“Severity...human race...what?”

The young officer slammed his hand down on the table impatiently. “This man is known as Loki, the sadistic freak responsible for New York! So why has he suddenly shown up in Seattle?”

Rum blinked.

The older gentleman scowled at the officer, mouthing a few choice words. “Miss King, may I call you Eleanor?”

“Rum...My friend's call me Rum.”

Her mother scoffed. “Please be serious, this is a police investigation, Ella! I wish you'd stop letting your friends call you that. You sound like an alcoholic.”

Rum shrugged. “You don't CHOOSE what your friends call you.”

Sergeant Graham smiled kindly. “Rum, then. Well, we would really appreciate it if you could come down to the station with us and discuss this Loki character. We'd like to go over the details of your encounter and see if there's something larger going on here. It's not every day this kind of...super villain is sighted.”

She shook her head. “No, no, no, no, no. This isn't happening. I'm normal. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No thanks. No, no, no.”

The police continued to hound her, even threatening to throw her in jail. She didn't care. She had nothing to say, she knew nothing about him, and she didn't want this to take up any more of her life. She even received a creepy phone call from some company called Shield? Was it some kind of security agency? The name sounded familiar…

Rum had no intention of seeing the matter any further and completely blocked any attempts of conversation about the subject to the point where she refused to tell Larissa what had happened the night of the accident.

Several months later, they met up in Seattle again. Larissa had invited her to a girl's weekend, her treat. They ate sushi, trolled the International District, and hit up some local bars and music clubs. One of Rum's other friends, Kylea, had it in with a funk band and got them into the club and show for free. The merch was also pretty freakin' sweet and Rum finally broke down and bought the official CD and vintage snap bracelet.

 

Loki fumed in his Odin disguise upon the Asgardian throne. After the encounter, he had gone to inspect the site of the monster attack. The creature seemed to have disappeared.

Why had his powers stopped working? Was the creature just a coincidence? Had someone known he was on Midgard?

Impossible, he scoffed to himself. No one even knew he was still alive…

He cursed silently to himself. The humans on the strange contraption, they might remember seeing him. The girl, almost definitely, if the fall hadn't knocked her senseless. Perhaps he should have let her fall to her death rather than catching her.

“My lord?” a quavering voice questioned.

Loki steeled himself, making his face blank. Even these brutish simpletons guarding the throne room could read him. This had gone far enough. He had to return to Midgard to investigate. If he had compromised himself, it was only a matter of time before S.H.I.E.L.D. was made aware of it. Then, the Avengers.

Much to his surprise, he encountered her several months later, no worse for wear…

 

“So, why do your friends call you Rum?” A good looking brunette asked after overhearing one of their conversations.

“Rum is my favorite drink. I always have a Rum and Coke whenever we go out. Someone started calling me Rum and it stuck.”

He smiled. “Well, it's nice to meet you, Rum. I'm Marcus.”

This was an interesting situation. Rum had never had a man approach her for conversation in the middle of a bar before. She had to admit to herself that he was cute, but that didn't really mean much. Was there any substance?

Marcus and Rum ended up talking until 12:30 a.m., when her friends begged her to get something to eat before they headed back to the hotel to pass out. He was actually pretty interesting and seemed genuine when asking her questions.

Rum smiled at her friends and held up a finger. She turned back toward Marcus. “Guess that's my cue. It was nice talking to you, Marcus.” She slid a napkin to him with her name and phone number. “Call me.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter (less than 1,000 words) and as far as I've gotten so far (I have other chapters partially written, but no chapters that connect them so far). Once I have time, I'll continue working on this, but it may be a week or more before the next update.
> 
> Thanks for the kudos, comments, and bookmarks!

Thor shook his head. “You must believe me when I tell you this, it was not Loki.” He turned, facing Fury and Natasha. “I held my brother in my arms as he lay dying, begging for forgiveness. You would not say such things if you knew.” His eyes looked haunted as he remembered his adopted brother bleeding in his arms on the dark planet, pale skin turning ashen, then a blue-ish black as the life faded from his eyes. He shook his head again, trying to rid the image from his mind. “Whatever this being is, it could not have been Loki. What of the beast?”

Romanov didn't look convinced. “Loki is a master manipulator. We've been fooled by him before.”

Nick knew that both possibilities were as likely. “Without confirmation or additional sightings, there's really no way to say. The kid involved refuses to speak to the authorities and she's avoiding S.H.I.E.L.D.'s efforts of contact. As much as I'd like to believe you, Thor, we have to be sure. That said, it could also be a fear tactic.” He rubbed his chin and readjusted his eye patch. “The other passengers in the train said they saw the same monster, but there were no reports within the city or at the building site. If someone or something could hide a monster of that magnitude in plain sight, I would think creating an illusory Loki wouldn't be outside of the realm of possibilities.”

All of the talk seemed to be going around in circles. Nick sighed, frustrated. There wasn't anything they could do until further investigations had taken place. Speculation was useless. “let's get some of our people on it. I want everyone involved to be interviewed again – be thorough.”

 

Rum had been disappointed when Marcus didn't text her. Not that she could really blame him. He was handsome and didn't have to stoop to scraping the bottom of the barrel for dates. She tried to be angry at her situation, but couldn't bring herself to. She was alright looking, but getting older, and had yet to meet a man that could get over the asexual aspect of her life. Sure, she was willing to fool around and eventually have sex with the right person, but she didn't feel right using that as an incentive to date her. It could never happen.

One day turned into a week, then two. Then she received a call from an unknown number. Not one to be rude, she answered after a few rings to see who it was. Liberty University to try and convince her to go for their graduate program again?

“Hello?”

“Ah, um, good evening. This is, uh, Marcus Lauf...son. I am calling to speak with Rum?”

Marcus Laufson? Marcus. Marcus!

“Oh my God.” Oh my God, why did I just say that? “Uh, hi Marcus. This is Rum.” You're being such a fucking spaz!!! Get it together. “How, uh...How've you been?” Great, that was better. Rum rolled her eyes at herself. At least he couldn't see her making an idiot of herself...only hear it.

“Oh. Um, hello again. I've been...well. How are you?”

At least she could tell he seemed to be as nervous as she was. “I'm good. Good. Uh, what's up?”

“What's up?” There was a pause on the other end of the line. “I, uh, I was just wondering...”

This was going south quickly. “Hey, do you wanna meet up and have lunch sometime? Are you still in Seattle?”

“Seattle? Uh, yes, no. I mean, I'm currently in Seattle, but I do not reside there.”

“Okay...” she responded. “So, do you want to meet up and have lunch sometime? In Seattle?” She could hear rustling on the other end of the line. “You know I can't hear a nod over the phone right?” Rum chuckled and heard a grunt on the other end of the line.

“Um, right. Sorry. Yes. I would like to 'get together' some time. Is...tomorrow at two a suitable time for you?”

She smiled. His speech and mannerisms were so strange, but awkwardly cute. “Sure, sounds great. Let's meet in the University Village. They have a bunch of really cool restaurants there. Meet at the foot of the parking garage?” She heard rustling again. “I'll take that as a yes. See you tomorrow.”

Loki stared at the electronic device in his hand as if it had sprouted wings. If anyone else had seen him, they may have been confused or found it comical.

The conversation had been stiff. He was still trying to understand and incorporate the Midgardian vernacular, which made speech difficult. Coming up with a last name for Marcus at the last second was strange. Laufson wasn't too bad and it hinted at his true lineage without saying it directly, so it wasn't a total lie. He had to make due.

 

Phil Coulson, now acting director of S.H.I.E.L.D., decided to take on the task of questioning Eleanor himself. If there was even the slightest chance that Loki was still alive, he felt it was his duty to bring him to justice. He'd already felt the wrong end of Loki's power and the flashbacks of his alien-surgery-resurrection still haunted him. So many things had gone wrong lately, with Skye or Daisy or whatever she was calling herself, on the run, using her powers for god knows what. And Hydra nearly taking S.H.I.E.L.D. out completely? He really needed this, he needed a win.


End file.
